Sauteed Scallops on Lemon Fettuccine

I was really excited about this dish. I’ve had half of a one pound bag of scallops from Trader Joe’s sitting in my freezer for a while now. Since Ryan isn’t crazy about scallops, I was waiting for a night on my own and the perfect recipe to enjoy them in. Unfortunately, this was not that perfect recipe. Or, perhaps, I just didn’t execute the recipe properly. Either way, this was a big let down.

First of all, I overcooked my pasta so we were off to a bad start. Second, I was expecting the scallops to kind of brown in the pan, but that never happened. I’m not sure where it all went wrong. When I mixed the scallops with the flour mixture, it seemed a little on the slimy side, but I thought that was normal. I cooked the scallops longer than the two minutes recommended by the recipe, but instead of browning they just seemed to create a slurry of white foamy bubbles in my pan. Perhaps it was because I used frozen scallops that released too much moisture in the pan. I use frozen seafood almost exclusively to save money and have never had problems before, but who knows. I removed my non-browned scallops, and added all the other ingredients. I had to add a splash of water because everything was kind of clumping together thanks to the flour. Then I mixed the pasta and scallops back in with the sauce.

At this point I was a little nervous because the dish just really didn’t look that great, but I was still hoping for the best. Unfortunately, it was pretty much just a gummy mess. Overall, the flavors were fine if not a little on the bland side, but the texture was not great and it just really didn’t look very appetizing. At first I was thinking I would try making it again with special care not to overcook the noodles and fresh scallops, but I’m just not sure the flavors were strong enough to warrant a second try. It definitely wasn’t inedible (just not the true culinary treat I was hoping for), so it gets two stars.